After a one and a half hour drive by car from Beijing’s city centre to the south the many skyscrapers and blocks begin to clear. The end of the city isn’t reached, but instead another micro cosmos which is not part of the everyday life in the Chinese capital: Abandoned, decayed buildings and curious looks mark the way to the artist Dai Chenlian. His studio lays in this remote part of the city where proper administration by the government doesn’t exist anymore.

Imagine yourself a career where you play in a rock band as a teenager before starting an apprenticeship in a bank. Being a qualified bank employee only causes you one problem: You don’t feel challenged enough. So why not mastering the entrance examination at the music conservatory in Karlsruhe to become a pianist and music teacher?

Well, this career exists and marks just the beginning of Sabine Schaefer’s journey that continues further today.